Why don't Hybrids get more love?

[catshreds]

Had anyone thought of the old anecdote that to sell a car you don't sell the car, you sell the lifestyle a person wants to lead? No wonder you see such arguments about the better option because people are defending that lifestyle choice/dream most of the time.

No offense to hybrid owners but it seems like many of you are buying the lifestyle of "doing good". Trust me, I understand the desire there. My order is for a FWD ecoboost. Yup, smack dab middle of the road. Trust me I'd much rather buy a tremor and play to my lifestyle dreams of off roading often. Or to buy a hybrid and think I'm doing my part to save the world while also saving my wallet.

In truth if I bought either of those variants I'd be buying the dream and likely not materializing either. So I bought the practical option, go figure the least popular, the one no one talks about here much. The best thing I do is not drive much period, that's the king of saving the world and my $$$.

@Old Ford Guy, the hybrid doesn't get much love because honestly while being a step in the right direction, it isnt moving the needle enough. When/if it does hit the critical numbers to be "enough" it will likely be the only option available. Just keep in mind it may very well likely never succeed in being the obvious choice. It may just be a stepping stone that helped initiate change. History tells us that true change and innovation isn't a new way of doing the same old thing, its a fundamental change to how we do it. This means a different way of transporting ourselves that is fundamentally different than cars.

Side note, all electric is far from eutopia. We humans have a nasty habit of over consuming everything until its toxic. The electric future, as its currently being sold to us, likely has just as many pitfalls as fossil fuel with our habit of screwing things up. Future Eg. Since electric cars are cheap and good for the environment, Joe will buy 2 vs 1 and dispose of them for a new one more often.

I have been and will continue to wait for teleportation to be invented. Truth!

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[Edward55]

I'd wager that more turbos have needed replacement than hybrid batteries.
Hybrid components gets a nice 100k warranty, also.

I have had turbo's since the mid 80's (Saab & Mercedes) all of those cars went over 200K with no problems with power train (follow manufacturers recommended maintenance) After 8-10 years I got tired of each one and bought another.

 

[Guv]

I vote for a Hybrid with an Ecoboost 4 cyl engine. AWD of course, a 2.0 or 2.3 would be good.

 

[Guv]

What are YOU talking about?

I've not seen den or ump mentioned once.

den, den, den, den……….
ump, ump, ump, ump………
Ten times now!

 

[Guv]

Great.
Why is Ford not building enough XLs? Why is Toyota prioritizing Limited Sienna $$$ over LE $$?
Profit.
Free market, yet the consumers can't even buy what they actually want bc OEMs want to make more money off you.

It would be the same thing with mpg, except we introduced CAFE and then mpg went up.

I have special ordered 5 vehicles since 97.
This makes sure you get what you want.

 

[Red Ryder]

You need to own a Toyota hybrid for a while to really appreciate the potential of a positive hybrid experience and the hope I have for a positive Maverick owning experience. I think Ford figured their earlier hybrids were over engineered and tried to save some money while also making them better performing and more efficient. If everything went according to plan, you would get a good one. My best hope here, when it comes to service is that my Ford dealer also owns the adjacent Toyota dealer whom I've have very competant and fair priced service from. Still, I'm much concerned about my future experience when my Maverick does arrive.

Good points, particularly regarding the over-engineered part. I do think that Ford's earlier efforts with hybrids (Escape/Fusion) were very positive. The Maverick's design goals were certainly weighted by cost-savings bias to meet the <$20K selling price goal. This is visibly evidenced in some areas, such as the infotainment screen/cubby filler space, some of the material selections, and other cheapness (e.g. sunglass holder). Unfortunately, this spilled over into other areas (marginal 12V battery, cheap harness prone to failure) and possibly more. Mine was an early hybrid build, so hopefully some of the lessons learned have yielded a better product for current and future buyers.
I'm not anti-hybrid, I did enjoy the driving experience and efficiency, but I think our next hybrid will be replacing my wife's CX-5 with a Rav4 hybrid at some point.
Best wishes for good service from your Maverick hybrid. I may consider another hybrid for myself at some point in the future, but I'll certainly choose a proven model.

 

[Halo9x]

Haven't you read ANY articles about cars in the past 20 years

Rhetorical question.

No, I drove a Prius, 7 years 8 months and it worked great until the battery died. The good news, it was still under warranty. However, once the warranty ran out, it was no longer covered. Switched back to all gas and have never looked back. At least I don’t have to worry about getting electrocuted or my Mav starting on fire due to flooding, etc. Hybrids are great as long as you don’t have any mishaps or dead batteries. If you’re happy with yours, I’m happy for you. Make mine all gas with AWD.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

You're right. If, IF, the majority of vehicles out there were electric we'd have trouble powering them as we haven't built enough power plants of late and the price of electricity would skyrocket

Not to mention the 11th year FOSM (FearOfSolarMaximum) which it appears will come up to a year earlier this time or perhaps FOGLSM (FearOfGreaterLongerSolarMaximum) in which the destruction of everything electrical connected to grid could possibly lead to TDOME (TheDoomOfMankindEveryWhere).

 

[MakinDoForNow]

Actually the opposite.

It costs the same to build xyz power generating station if 1000 people use it or 100,000 people. They have to recoup their costs. Power will always be cheaper when the generating costs are split between more users.

There are a few exceptions, but MOST areas have excess power generating capacity right now.

I gladly pay the 12-18% portion of my electric bill in Texas for the 200-300% "excess???" generating capacity! Which is needed for a few weeks each year. Currently being installed is a standby peak load generator that has 9 v18 multi fuel generators that can be brought up to full capacity in something like 20 seconds. Total capacity of all 9 (each about 60 foot long) being about 194 megawatts. Due to go into service in 2025.

 

[Jman79]

I have been and will continue to wait for teleportation to be invented. Truth!

The thought absolutely crossed my mind, but in between will be minority report style automated system of what is more like Pods than cars.

Maybe a manufacturer or two will keep producing some really econo/specialty ICE vehicles. Bare bones type things that every few households can keep for SHTF moments you cant depend on public infrastructure.

 

[Jman79]

Good points, particularly regarding the over-engineered part. I do think that Ford's earlier efforts with hybrids (Escape/Fusion) were very positive. The Maverick's design goals were certainly weighted by cost-savings bias to meet the <$20K selling price goal. This is visibly evidenced in some areas, such as the infotainment screen/cubby filler space, some of the material selections, and other cheapness (e.g. sunglass holder). Unfortunately, this spilled over into other areas (marginal 12V battery, cheap harness prone to failure) and possibly more. Mine was an early hybrid build, so hopefully some of the lessons learned have yielded a better product for current and future buyers.
I'm not anti-hybrid, I did enjoy the driving experience and efficiency, but I think our next hybrid will be replacing my wife's CX-5 with a Rav4 hybrid at some point.
Best wishes for good service from your Maverick hybrid. I may consider another hybrid for myself at some point in the future, but I'll certainly choose a proven model.

You speak of the early adopter tax . Another good point to this discussion and hybrid/electric still in general. Hybrid has been around over a decade or two even?? But in the grand scheme its still pretty new.

 

[Timothyd]

Not to mention the 11th year FOSM (FearOfSolarMaximum) which it appears will come up to a year earlier this time or perhaps FOGLSM (FearOfGreaterLongerSolarMaximum) in which the destruction of everything electrical connected to grid could possibly lead to TDOME (TheDoomOfMankindEveryWhere).

We're all gonna die (someday)

 

[catshreds]

We're all gonna die (someday)

"That is not dead which, eternal lie; And with strange aeons, even death may die!"

 

[OneAlienBoi]

It’s all fun and games until you have replace the battery!

That's like worrying about having to replace the very foundation of your house. Could it happen? Sure. Is it likely to happen? Not in the slightest.

Hybrid systems are extremely reliable, especially Ford and Toyotas. The very 2.5 hybrid system in the maverick is been proven to last decades and hundreds of thousands of miles without issue. It's the same setup in my uncles '12 escape.

In fact, the only real changes they made over time should only serve to further improve longevity, like switching from nickel to lithium ion battery backs, and going from an air cooked to a liquid cooked system for the battery and electronics.

 

[Guv]

We have a 2014 Ford C-Max going on 110,000 with the original battery. Still doing over 40 mpg.

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